What is soul? If it is produced from food then, when food stops soul is destroyed?

Soul is pure awareness, which is a special work form of energy produced by the oxidation of food. Its generation requires the function of several biological systems also like lungs, stomach, nervous system etc. When any one of these fail, the energy is not produced and awareness in general disappears as in the deep sleep in which the nervous system takes rest. But the subtle body, which is a bundle of strong feelings (Samskaras), which are the waves of awareness, is not destroyed and it leaves the body for final enquiry. The enquiry is conducted by God based on these Samskaras only and not mere pure awareness, which is common in every soul. If you mean the subtle body for the soul, it is not destroyed. Even in the subtle body, pure awareness exists like gold in the jewels.

At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami

Anil Antony

www.universal-spirituality.org
Universal Spirituality for World Peace
[email protected]

First of all we should analyse the soul. The soul is made of pure awareness. The vibrations of pure awareness are called as feelings or qualities. Therefore all the characteristic qualities are associated with the soul and are made of pure awareness.

What is pure awareness? It is only a special form of inert energy. When we eat the food, it is oxidised by the oxygen received through the respiratory system. When the food is assimilated in the digestive system, it is oxidised by the Oxygen from the respiratory system, which is carried by the blood in dissolved state through Haemoglobin. The oxidation of food is exothermic reaction and liberates inert heat energy. This inert heat energy is converted into a special form of energy called awareness by the nervous system.

The electricity is produced by the generator and enters the tube light. The electrical energy is converted into light, which is another new form of energy. The heat energy produced by the interaction of digestive and respiratory system is called life energy (Pranamaya kosa). When this heat energy is converted into awareness by nervous system the awareness or mind is produced (Manomaya kosa). This awareness which is in the purest state is called as the soul (or Atman). This awareness is propagated in the form of pulses and these pulses as a bundle is called as Jeeva. The bundle of pulses of awareness is called as simply Jeeva from the point of pulses, is called as Atman from the point of awareness and is also called as Jeevatman from the point of both the pulses and awareness.

The constant propagation of pulses is called as mind (manas). The impressions of strong pulses are called as Chittam. The production of strong of pulses by the interaction of several weak pulses is called as intelligence or determination or Buddhi. The strong pulse that keeps the identity of the body is called as Ahamkara or ego. When you say the word Jeeva, it refers only to Manas, Chittam, Buddhi and Ahamkara (Antahkaranams). Therefore the soul and Jeeva together called as Jeevatma is only a special form of energy i.e., generated by the interaction of digestive, respiratory and nervous systems. Thus Jeeva representing the bundle of characteristics and Atman representing the special form of energy or Soul can be only the items of creation and not the creator. You are worried about the generation of Soul but there need not be any worry because Soul is an item of creation. In this creation there is conversion of matter into energy.

Shri Ramanath asked whether the soul can be seen.

Swami told “Veda and Gita say that the soul can be visualized by very careful analysis and vision (Drusyate Tvagrayaa…, Pasyanti Jnana Chakshushah….). After all, the soul is only pure awareness which is the nervous energy flowing in the nerves. Today we have very sophisticated instruments through which we can see this nervous energy flowing in nerves as waves. The soul is essentially the inert energy only. Ofcourse, the chip of the information (Jeeva) existing in the brain is specific for an individual i.e., accumulated from several births. Your body is like computer.

The electricity flowing in the computer (Power) is the awareness or the soul. The information fed into the computer (Programme) is specific and is called as the individual soul or Jeeva. Therefore, you can see the soul in its essential form as energy. At the time of death this chip of information (Jeeva) comes out of the body. When the radio station transmits some speech in to the space, it travels in the space with a specific frequency and it is essentially energy only. But when it enters the radio the speech is heard. Similarly, the individual soul on entering a new alive body again transmits the information. Therefore, the soul or individual soul can be visualized as the energy only.

When it enters another system (another human body), it behaves like the soul or individual soul which is the specific work form of energy. If you take the soul or individual soul as the specific form of energy only, it cannot be isolated like energy. You cannot take the photo of grinding work. The machine, the current, the motion of the rod that grinds the grains (Kinetic energy), grains etc., can be visualized. But none of these is the grinding work. The grinding work depends on all these components and we can see its effect as the flour of grains. The actual specific work cannot be visualized but can be experienced. By this point people have misunderstood that the soul is God because God is also not visible but can be experienced.

But the difference is that God is independent, whereas the awareness (Specific form of work) depends on the brain, nervous system, food, oxygen and proper oxidation of food to release energy etc. Awareness is unreal by itself when isolated from all the components. God is the completely independent and ultimate absolute reality. A scientist told that the life energy is like the sound produced from the drum and stick. The sound is essentially mechanical energy and is neither the drum, nor the stick, nor the beat (Kinetic energy) nor the ear-drum that experiences the sound.

Every item of the creation is a relative reality (Mithya) like the awareness except God. You can visualize the sound as energy waves but those waves are not sound. Only the effect of those waves is sound. Such effect is not self-existent independent item. Its existence is a compounded effect of all the parts of the system. Therefore, the soul in the form of inert energy can be visualized, which is its original form i.e., remaining in the state of deep sleep”.


At the Lotus Feet of His Holiness Sri Dattaswami

Anil Antony

www.universal-spirituality.org
Universal Spirituality for World Peace
[email protected]